*Bob*

Agreed, there is some right old muck in The Toot as well. But the good stuff is mmmmmmmmm. Personally, I can't abide Brick Lane, with all those arm-tuggers hovering around on the doorsteps of their restaurants. Piss off - NO.. I don't WANT TO COME IN Anyway.. sorry to intrude on the SE22 curry thread. I do try and resist the urge to bleat on (and on) about this - and mostly I succeed - but you must understand, with every other thread on the forum being about CURRY and because the choices are so average around these parts, I can't hold my tongue every time.

Yeah, it's pointless during peak traffic hours (daytime or evening), but at other times, it's great. If it's on time, which it never is.

georgia Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Maybe if you went along *Bob* you'd realise that > the standard generally is actually quite good.... I have 'had the pleasure' of three or four of the ones round here that everybody drones on about. It was just the same old same old. Apart from Ganapati, which is ok. Nope - back to Tooting I shall go for evermore.

Good luck with the local slop. Let me know which one is the least mediocre, folks!

The problem with the P13 is that it isn't very frequent but it has to crosse a large and unpredictably congested stretch of South London. The result is that keeping to the specified timetable is stressful and virtually impossible. Which means angry bus driver and angry passengers. Not a great combo. It's a shame it's not more frequent because it's a very handy route - for me anyway.

I have seen much uppityness on the part of some ED shop customers. I believe they think they're asserting their rights as a paying customer and therefore bringing standards of customer service up or something, but there are ways of means of doing this, still getting the same result, but not acting like an arse.

Never had a bad experience in D-DIY myself - and I've been in and out of there a fair old bit. However, I have seen a couple of testy encounters in there though. Both of them were down to (firstly) a customer getting uppity and assuming that the staff were somehow trying to palm them off with the wrong product on purpose - followed by the staff getting irritated. People in DIY shops don't know everything in the small print about the zillion products they carry in their shops. That's where the 'Y' bit comes in.

That sounds like a fair representation of your average Foxtons viewing. It certainly reminds me of the dealings I've had in the past with them, from which I can recall: Never getting to speak to the same person more than once. Each person I spoke to knowing nothing about what I had discussed with the previous person. Too many staff.. and too high a turnover of staff - I was amazed at how many people I met with who knew zilch about the area, or the property I was viewing - and this was at an established branch so the 'just starting out' excuse won't wash. However, they do have a nice website and they do very nicely thankyou - which is testament to the fact that, given some property to sell and a few nice pictures of it, a monkey could do it - and without the need of a silly car.

I usually drink bottles in pubs for the simple reason that 90% of the barrel-kept stuff in our great city is bloody horrible and I gave-up on taking the chance on it long ago - unless I go to a pub where I know it's safe to drink. I know it's a terrible cliche, but when I arrived in London many year ago from 'oop north', I just could not believe how awful the beer was, or why anyone in their right mind would want to drink it.

The question isn't very well put, as you're asking people to make a judgement about what is "fair" but don't even say who for. For the punter enjoy a drink in a cosy pub? For the landlord to stay in business?

*Bob* Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Surely 'fairness' has nothing to do with it.. it's > a case of what people are prepared to pay? Actually, I think that ought to read "it's a case of what landlords can get a way with charging"

Surely 'fairness' has nothing to do with it.. it's a case of what people are prepared to pay?

Give him the comfy chair.

Excellent first post. Truly odd. Nice one.

We could all 'black up' - that way nobody gets to be unnecessarily offended.

*Bob* Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > As with most things*.. if you like it.. buy it and > enjoy it. *Possibly with the exception of crack cocaine. And G-Plan furniture.

Re Ercol.. I'm not a fan of the style myself (I find it a bit too 'country kitchen' but the old stuff is appreciating in value as there are people who are fans. I've seen Ercol high-backed chairs on sale in London for a few hundred quid a pop. As with most things.. if you like it.. buy it and enjoy it.

Ibo, I did have have time so have just read the article. It's very poorly written and the author makes absolutely no attempt to explain why he's attached the term 'ethnic cleansing' to gentrification. He just 'says it'. And just 'saying it' doesn't make it true. I borrowed a couple of other quotes from the net which help explain the obvious points I can't be bovvered to write nicely myself: "Gentrification is driven by money. Plain and simple. It?s a result of economics - capital flows to its most efficient use - always, without respect to a person?s race, gender, religion, culture, etc. In the case of gentrification, capital flows into underpriced neighborhoods where it can be used more efficiently, ie., create more value than simply staying in places already overpriced. People who claim that gentrification targets ethnic minorities don?t understand this relatively simple concept, or don?t want to. Instead they become angry at the new residents of the neighborhood and lament that their culture is changing." "To call gentrification ?ethnic cleansing? is, ironically, racist. It implies that the only people who have money and can live in these areas are from only one bland race, and neither ?one? nor ?bland? is true"

Perhaps in the same way that 'chalk' can also be said to mean 'cheese'? (ie never, by no-one)

Ibo, I don't know why you're clinging to this ill-judged opinion, but you're way off the mark. The main thing about 'ethnic cleansing' is the cleansing element. It doesn't mean a change in demographic. It doesn't just mean that Mr Khan moves out and Mr Smith moves in. What it means is that when Mr Khan moves out and Mr Smith moves in, the area is all the better for it. It is cleaner. Do you not see the inference in the term? Incidentally, the latest family to moves in round our way is an Asian family. Because they wanted to move here - and because they could afford it. And that's IT.

I wasn't comparing it.. just childishly slagging it off, to be honest.

Scruffy Mummy Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > Seriously, though I've heard through several > sources (not just via the Forum) that the owner of > Chandelier .. is encouraging more of a > child-free atmosphere. How do you 'encourage' a child-free atmosphere?

ibo Wrote: ------------------------------------------------------- > > Do you have a description of the shit in > question? Let's hear from some South Croydon residents, bigging it up on 'Find A Property': "Believe me you can do a lot worse" "The house prices are almost reasonable. Also great for Gatwick Airport (10 minutes) and not bad for Luton either." "Croydon gets a bad name, it isn't perfect and the centre of town on a weekend evening can be treacherous due to excesssive drinking, testosterone and bad parenting - but if you know when and where to be - life can be pleasant enough and you can afford a bit more than a shoebox! Mark - South Croydon Resident for 5 years." "Croydon is good for shopping and IKEA is on your doorstep." So - pleasant enough, good links to Gatwick and Ikea on your doorstep. A tick in every box.

How about some sort of drawbridge between Zenoria Street and the main drag? That way, the residents could enjoy all the benefits of LL with none of the inconveniences?

A violent hippy. The worst kind.